Positive Psychology, Well-Being, & Resilience

When You See Your Own Emotions in Other People's Faces

When You See Your Own Emotions in Other People’s Faces

Sometimes our perceptions of others tell us more about ourselves. That can be true in how we interpret other people’s motivations, for example, and a newly published study suggests it can even ...
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/ / Emotion-Affective Psychology, Happiness, Positive Psychology
What a Connection to Nature Means for Kids

What a Connection to Nature Means for Kids

It’s a common complaint that kids these days don’t get outside enough. There may be something to that claim, as well, with parents of 8 to 12 year olds saying in one ...
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/ / Children, Developmental Psychology, Environment, Happiness, Positive Psychology
The Demographics of Humor

The Demographics of Humor

Humor is a funny thing. Different people use it in different ways. I’ve touched on this topic in some previous blog posts. People with high self-esteem, for example, tend to use humor ...
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/ / Behavioral Psychology, Humor, Politics, Positive Psychology, Social Psychology
Happiness Is Possible With a History of Anxiety

Happiness Is Possible With a History of Anxiety

Mental health conditions like anxiety can interfere in almost any aspect of people’s lives, with real consequences. And yet, in the long-run, that doesn’t mean happiness is unobtainable. I’m not saying that ...
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/ / Anxiety, Clinical Psychology, Happiness, Positive Psychology
Are Bad Memories Useful?

Are Bad Memories Useful?

Our memories about our own lives are one of the primary ways we make sense of who we are and how the world works. As I’ve written about before, there are at ...
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/ / Cognitive Psychology, Memory, Positive Psychology
Not Judging Your Own Thoughts as an Element of Happiness

Not Judging Your Own Thoughts as an Element of Happiness

There’s no formula for happiness, but something that apparently helps is not being too judgmental toward your own thoughts and feelings. A recent study from researchers in Spain highlights the role that ...
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/ / Cognitive Psychology, Emotion-Affective Psychology, Happiness, Positive Psychology
Developing a Sense of Purpose in High School

Developing a Sense of Purpose in High School

With a strong sense of purpose in life tend to come a range of cognitive, mental health, and possibly even physical health benefits, as I’ve written about before. A more complex question ...
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/ / Meaning, Positive Psychology, Teens
What Friendships Can Do for Mental Health in Old Age

What Friendships Can Do for Mental Health in Old Age

It seems self-evident that having rewarding social connections should be able to help with healthy aging, but framing that intuition in a scientific way turns out to be surprisingly complicated. There are ...
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/ / Clinical Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Friendships, Older Adults, Positive Psychology
Friends Cooperate More Efficiently After Exchanging Gifts

Friends Cooperate More Efficiently After Exchanging Gifts

As I’ve written about before, people give gifts for a range of reasons – sometimes simply to do something nice, sometimes because they want to influence others. A new study from researchers ...
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/ / Cognitive Psychology, Friendships, Gratitude, Positive Psychology, Social Psychology
Why Gun Owners Are Happier (Hint: It's Probably Not the Guns)

Why Gun Owners Are Happier (Hint: It’s Probably Not the Guns)

Decades of psychology researchers has converged on the conclusion that the key to happiness is … owning a gun? Not quite. But as the authors of a new study on happiness and ...
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/ / Behavioral Psychology, Happiness, Positive Psychology